The Exchange
by D. M. Robb
Summary: When Emily Van Dort, Victor and Victoria's daughter, journeys to the Underworld to rescue her younger brother who had recently died, she is confronted with a difficult choice.


_**The Exchange**_

Tears blinded Emily Van Dort's eyes as she dashed outside. The sky was dusted with gray and a light rain whispered against the leaves of the surrounding forest. The restless sea churned beyond.

Why William? Why? She fell to her knees onto the damp earth and wept. The hot tears against her cheeks offered little comfort. She couldn't believe her young brother was dead. The illness had struck him so suddenly, turning him from a mischievous child who enjoyed teasing her and hiding her things to a pale, shivering lump. Her parents' grief only deepened her inner pain.

_I am so sorry about your brother, _said a sweet, clear voice within Emily's mind. She blinked and looked up. The rain had stopped and a trickle of rich sunlight shimmered against the brilliant blue wings of several butterflies skittering about on a gentle zephyr. Ever since she was small, Emily would frequently come across these butterflies. During times when she was sad or troubled, their presence was accompanied by a soothing female voice.

These elements were part of the spirit of Emily's namesake, a murdered woman who her parents Victor and Victoria had known just before they were married. She had heard the story from them dozens of times, how her father had been magically carried away into the Underworld of the dead where he temporarily found himself married to a mysterious corpse bride whose name had been Emily. Emily eventually stepped aside, allowing Victor and his true love Victoria to finally be together. Freed from her worldly desire to get married, she dissolved into air and butterflies. She had been Emily's guardian for as long as the girl could remember.

Emily rubbed her wet face with the ruffled sleeve of her dress. A strength she hadn't felt earlier replaced her grief.

"Can you tell me how to reach the Underworld?" she asked the dancing butterflies as she rose to her feet. "I'll find Will and bring him back. He is only six, just half my age and much too young to die."

_I agree, _said her namesake's voice as the butterflies swirled around her, their fragile wings creating a warm wind. _Seek out Elder Gutknecht. He'd most likely be able to help you. _

Elder Gutknecht? Emily thought. I do remember Father mentioning him.

The butterflies vanished, leaving Emily standing in what looked to be a colorful pub. A bar stood to one side and an old piano was set against one wall.

Her heart twisted when she saw that piano. Her father had played it once, accompanied by her namesake. He was now a well-known pianist, having refused to go into his parents' fish mongering business.

Emily was jolted from these thoughts by a crowd of skeletons and corpses in various stages of decay. They looked as if they had been in the middle of a welcoming party.

"What's this?" exclaimed a skeleton with a large jaw. "It looks like another new comer!"

"Strange. She doesn't look dead," said another.

"Emily!" called Will's piping voice. He dashed into her arms. "How did you get here? Are you dead too?"

Emily swallowed and blinked back her tears. If it wasn't for that strange blue caste to his skin, Will appeared to be alive and healthy.

"No. I've come to rescue you."

"But I like it here. Can't I stay a little while longer?"

"Will." Emily placed her hands on his shoulders and stared down into his vast brown eyes. "Mother and Father are very sad. Don't you want to see them again?"

Will's eyes grew liquid-shimmery. "Of course I do. But how can I go back? I thought I was dead."

"We need to find Elder Gutknecht. He'd be able to help us."

"Did you say Elder Gutknecht?" asked the large-jawed skeleton. "We can show you where he lives."

They were led through an underground city aglow with colorful lights toward an enormous, wedge-shaped tower. Emily and Will, tightly holding hands, ascended a winding staircase and entered a large room cluttered with piles and shelves of countless old books. Black ravens scattered this lair.

Emily gasped when Elder Gutknecht emerged from the midst of his clutter. He was merely a tiny stooped skeleton. Did he really possess the magic to send her and Will home? He should. She trusted her guardian spirit and namesake.

"Hello," she said, nervously twisting the end of her braid. "Elder Gutknecht?"

"You don't look dead," he said, peering up at her through hollow eye sockets. He adjusted the spectacles that partially covered them.

Emily was surprised that he was even smaller than she, practically Will's height.

"My name is Emily and this is my brother Will," she said. She explained that their father Victor was the one who had nearly married Emily, the corpse bride. "She has been my guardian ever since I was born, always appearing to me as swarms of blue butterflies. It was she who sent me here to rescue Will."

Emily thought that if Elder Gutknecht had had eyes, they'd be filled with tears. "We all miss Emily," he said. "But we are also happy for her since she had finally moved on, found peace."

Tears touched Emily's own eyes. "I was named after her." She looked down at Will and felt the tears spill onto her cheeks. "Do you have a spell that can return Will to life? He's too young to die and our parents are heartbroken."

Elder Gutknecht rubbed his cracked head with bony fingers. "There is one spell that I know of that could do this," he said after a long moment. "But it is one that shouldn't be used." Despair gnawed at Emily. "There would be dire consequences unless a willing person agreed to take the deceased person's place."

"I'll do it," Emily said, speaking around the tightness in her throat. "I'll trade my life for Will's."

"Emily, no!" Will tugged at her dress. She ignored him.

"You understand, my dear, if you choose this, you can never return to the Land Above," said Elder Gutknecht in a serious tone. "At least not in your current form."

"Yes. I accept that." She struggled to keep her legs from trembling. From her father's descriptions, as well as what she had observed so far, the Land of the Dead was a happy place. How bad could it be? Still, she'd be permanently separated from her parents and Will, at least until they eventually died, which could be years—or so she hoped—as well as her guardian spirit. She forced back her tears and asked Elder Gutknecht to say the spell before she could change her mind.

"No. Please. I'll be happy here," Will insisted but Emily hushed him.

Elder Gutknecht uttered a few peculiar words and threw a smoky dust over them. Emily felt momentarily strange. Her breathing stilled, her skin developed a blue tinge. Will, in contrast, began to breathe and his skin returned to its former ruddy tone. He cried openly, sobbing, "Emily, why?" and hugged her. Seconds later, he vanished.

"He has returned to your parents in the World Above," Elder Gutknecht said. "It is now you who is dead while he lives." He took her hand and smiled up at her. "That was a very brave thing you did, my dear."

Not sure how to respond to that, Emily thanked him and left the tower. She wondered what she should do now. She felt sad, being so suddenly separated from her family, but knew she had done the right thing.

I have an eternity now, she thought as she wended through the winding back alleys. I might as well explore this place. It was a vast city, similar to those she had visited with her parents when she was alive. Similar yet so different like something out of a surreal painting. Colorful lights were strewn everywhere and shops sold odd items such as limbs and eyeballs. Wherever she went, she came across groups of dead celebrating something. There was much music and laughter.

Why can't the living have this much fun? Emily wondered. She found herself smiling as she thought of her grandparents. Her father's parents were actually quite pleasant—Will had even been named after Victor's father—but her mother's…she had never met a gloomier pair! She never really liked to visit the Everglots, her towering bony grandmother Maudeline and squat, round Finis, her grandfather. Even their smiles were morose, reminding her of staring fish heads. Their house was dark and somber and Emily felt cold every time she entered it, even if she was visiting in the middle of summer. How could Mother have stood to grow up there? Emily mused. No wonder she hardly ever spoke of her childhood!

Lost in her thoughts, Emily found herself in a darker side of town. She ended up in an alley, at the end of which stood a cave lit by a dim, reddish light. Unlike the other parts of the Underworld she had seen, this was dismal and a little scary.

She was about to turn back when she heard a mournful voice ask, "Who's there? Please don't leave me all alone."

Emily swallowed, suddenly frightened. She was surprised to find that her heart wasn't beating and she had no need to draw in rapid breath, until she remembered that she was dead. How could she have forgotten?

She entered the cave with trepidation. She gulped down a surge of revulsion when she saw, in that bloody glow, separate skeletal body parts placed in cages scattered about the cave. The cage containing the head spoke to her. Its flesh had mostly rotted away, revealing a pale skull, but the eyes appeared bright and alert.

"Please help me. Some evil people did this to me, dismembering me and placing me in these cages. If you could get me out and put me back together, I'd be so grateful."

Emily gulped down a rising nausea. Who would do such a thing? The Underworld was so joyful, a place where the dead seemed to forget whatever cares had burdened them in life.

Well, there are evil people in the Land Above, she thought, picking up a rock and pounding it against one of the cages. The cage was so ancient that it shattered. Why would down here be any different in that regard?

She managed to break open the cages, then sat on the floor in the midst of the pile of bones and tattered clothes, the remnants of that unfortunate victim.

"What is your name?" the skull asked as she set about reassembling joints. She had always been good at puzzles so she was sure that this wouldn't be an impossible task.

"Emily," she said, between chewing the end of her braid, something she always did when she was concentrating.

"Emily?" The name came out like sand scraping across stone.

Emily nodded. She slid a bone into its proper socket. "Yes. Emily Van Dort."

The skull gasped again.

"What is your name?"

"My name?" It seemed to think for a moment, as if it had forgotten. "George," it said at last. "George Barkum."

"Pleased to meet you." Emily forced a smile.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am," George said in a pleasant voice after she had finished. He stretched, his newly assembled joints crackling. He was mostly a skeleton with wisps of rags, the remnants of what must have once been a fine suit, and flesh clinging to his otherwise pale bones. "It feels so good to be whole again. I don't know how long I've been lying there, broken into pieces, in those cages. Why, I still had meat on my bones when that happened."

"That's terrible." Emily shuddered.

"Yes. But that's all in the past now, isn't it? I've finally made my first friend down here after all this time."

"I'm glad I could help, Mr. Barkum," Emily said, shaking his hand.

"Call me George, please," he said as they wandered down the alley. George's gait was slightly awkward as he adjusted to walking again. Emily placed an arm around his waist to steady him. "So tell me, Emily, how did you end up here? You look much too young to have died already."

Tears rushed into her eyes as she told George her story.

She looked up and caught the glimmer of tears in _his _eyes. "That was a very noble thing you did."

She bowed her head and allowed the tears to spill. "Still, I wish it didn't have to be that way. I miss my family. I'd give anything to return to them."

George drew her into his skeletal embrace. "Of course you would." She clung to his cold, dry bones. Although she was happy that she had been able to help another person and made a friend in the process, she longed for her parents' warm hugs. Nothing could ever replace those.

"You know," George continued, his voice brightening. "There was a time when the dead rose from the ground. I remember it well and perhaps your parents even do." Emily nodded. Wasn't that the time when her father had nearly married her namesake? "If it happened before, it could happen again. Perhaps we could do this together. I, too, have a family I'd like to return to. But how do you suppose we do this?" He tilted his head back to peer up at the endlessly high cavern ceiling that was lost beneath wisps of swirling gray mists.

"Perhaps Elder Gutknecht can help us," Emily suggested, brightening. "From what I'd heard, he knows all sorts of spells. And he was the one who helped me exchange places with my brother."

"That's a possibility," George said. His eyes glinted as he paced. "But I'm not so sure if Elder…what's-his-name would allow you to return to the Land Above so soon. We may have to do this ourselves with one of his spell books."

"You mean steal one?" Emily's stomach twisted with discomfort. "I don't like that idea. Besides, there are so many books in his lair that I wouldn't know where to begin to look. I could talk to him. He seemed nice enough. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I promised not to stay too long. Just long enough to visit with my family. You could see yours as well. After all, he allowed my namesake and my father to visit the Land Above when Father was down here. What kind of spell did he say that was again?" She thought hard, twisting her long braid. "Oh yes. I think it was called a Ukrainian Haunting Spell."

George's eyes glinted. "That's it!" he exclaimed, grasping her hand with his bony fingers. "You know the name of the spell." He grew silent for a moment, as if in deep thought. "I'll go with you to what's-his-name's tower but I won't enter. I prefer to stay hidden after…after…" He shuddered.

Emily patted his shoulder. "I understand, although Elder Gutknecht is quite nice. He'd never harm anyone, I'm sure."

"Still, I prefer not to face him or anyone else right now. You are my only friend down here, Emily." A brief melancholy rippled through her.

"I don't have many friends either," she said softly. "But it's not like I haven't tried. Everyone at school thinks I'm strange just because I'm quiet and artistic, like Father."

George grinned down at her. "It sounds like we're a perfect match then. And as such we should help one another."

"I agree. I'll talk to Elder Gutknecht myself and see if I can get that spell. We can then journey to the Land Above together to see our families."

"Splendid!"

They took the darker back alleys to Elder Gutknecht's tower, avoiding the crowds. Emily entered it alone.

"Elder Gutknecht," she called as she entered his lair. Piles of books surrounded her and the ravens stared at her with glowing yellow eyes. "Sir? Are you here?"

She nearly jumped when he stepped out from behind a bookshelf. "Emily!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad you came back. You are just the person I wanted to talk to."

"I am? That's funny because I was seeking _you _out."

He laughed in his ancient voice then grew serious. "My dear. I've lived here in the Underworld for a very long time, centuries I believe. I've been the spiritual advisor to the dead for so long that I now would like to have the opportunity to move on, to become part of nature in the World Above."

"Like my namesake," Emily whispered.

"Yes. Just like Emily. This usually happens when the person has found peace or completed unfinished business. However, with me, my business as advisor to the dead is never complete since people in the World Above are always dying. I have watched countless others, including your namesake, move on while I remain here. I have written a spell that, when spoken by another, would allow me to transform." He handed her a slip of paper. On it, penned in neat script, were several unfamiliar words. "Once I have trained you to be my replacement, I'd like you to say these words, which will allow me to return to the World Above in another form."

Emily froze with shock. "You want me to be your replacement?"

"That's right." Elder Gutknecht stroked his wispy beard.

"But why? I-I'm nothing special."

"On the contrary, my dear. I see great potential in you. Besides, you showed much courage when you traded places with your brother."

"Could I think about this?" she asked, absently placing the slip of paper in her pocket.

"Of course. Such a decision shouldn't be rushed."

Dazed, Emily turned to leave but stopped when she remembered what she had come here for. Her insides twittered with nerves.

"Sir, I-I was wondering if you could teach me the Ukrainian Haunting Spell."

He gazed up at her through his spectacles. "The Ukrainian Haunting Spell, eh? Your father told you about that one, didn't he?"

She nodded. "Please, Elder Gutknecht, teach it to me. If I am to eventually take your place, I would need to know all your spells."

"I heartily agree. This one is actually quite simple." He grabbed one of the ravens, which let out a piercing shriek, and squeezed it until a large egg popped out. "Break this when you are ready," he said, handing it to her, "and scatter the contents over you. When you want to return, simply say the word 'Hopscotch.'" Emily found herself giggling at that. "This is a simple spell but it should be used with caution. We can't have all the dead storming the Land Above, as they did once before. What happens after we die should remain a mystery to the living."

She thanked him and promised that, when she came back, she would begin training to be his apprentice.

"I have it!" she said when she returned to George.

He scowled. "An egg?"

"Yes. I'll show you how it works. When you want to return here say the word 'hopscotch.' Are you ready?"

"More than ready."

She broke the egg in half. A cloud of swirling gray dust poured from it and surrounded them.

When it cleared, Emily saw that they were standing in the woods, a few feet away from her house. The sea churned beyond. Joy flooded her.

"I'm going to see my family now," she said. "And you are free to visit yours. Are they nearby?"

"Yes. But first I would like to meet yours. They sound like charming people."

Emily felt a stir of hesitation but acquiesced. "All right. I suppose it couldn't hurt. They've met plenty of dead before so they shouldn't be too shocked."

As she started to lead him toward the house, the blue butterflies of her spirit guardian appeared, glinting like jewels against the sunlight. The breeze that accompanied them was stronger than usual and carried a faint chill. George angrily batted at the butterflies.

_No, Emily! Don't! _

Emily ignored the voice within her mind. Why did her spirit guardian want to stop her from seeing her family again? She grabbed George's hand and pulled him toward the front door. She couldn't wait to see them. Especially since she felt she shouldn't spend too much time here.

She thought she heard her guardian's voice say, _This skeleton is not who you think he is, _as she fought the wind, pushed George inside and slammed the door against it.

A sullen sickness filled her. What exactly was her guardian trying to warn her of? George was her _friend. _

A lump lodged in her throat as she saw her family look up from where they were huddled on the couch. Their eyes were red from weeping.

"Emily!" her mother exclaimed as they all hurried toward her. Victoria's usually perfect hair hung in disheveled wisps about her pretty face. It will be too difficult to go back now, Emily thought as she was heartily embraced and kissed.

"We though we had lost you forever," said her father. He looked even thinner than ever and was almost as pale as a skeleton.

"You are so cold," Victoria whispered, tears spilling from her eyes.

"I can only stay for a short time," Emily said, fighting her own tears. Why did she have to come back? It will be too hard to return to the Underworld. "But I did want you to meet someone. His name is George and I met him—"

She stopped. Where was George?

Her family gasped as he stepped into the room wielding a knife he must have found in the kitchen.

"He looks somehow familiar," Victor said, frowning.

"I _know_ him." Victoria clung to both Emily and Will. "I was married to him for a short time. That's Lord Barkis."

"Barkis?" Emily gasped. The sickening feeling returned. According to her parents' story, he had been her guardian's murderer and had nearly killed her parents as well. What had she done by bringing him here?

"Your mother speaks the truth," he said, his voice now harsh and sinister. "I must thank you again, this time for leading me directly to them. Now I can have my revenge on these people who took my life."

"You drank that poison yourself," Victoria snapped. "No one made you."

"But no one stopped me either."

Emily stepped in front of Barkis as he came toward her family. She winced as the knife's blade punctured her side. She didn't feel anything and no blood spilled. The horrified gasps of her family members scratched at her ears. At first she was shocked…until she remembered that she was dead. The dead can't feel pain…

"Get out of the way, girl," Barkis hissed.

"No. I won't let you hurt my family. You'll have to go through me first."

"I will." Barkis pulled out the knife and stabbed her a second time.

Emily tossed her head and laughed. "I'm dead too, remember, so you can't hurt me." She grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the knife and twisted, breaking it off. Lord Barkis groaned. "I put you back together and I can take you apart again." Emily opened the door and pushed him through. Barkis fell to the ground, shattering once again into pieces.

"You still haven't gotten rid of me," he mocked. "I will remain here and torment you and your family forever."

Emily considered gathering his remains up and returning to the Underworld but feared that, sooner or later, he may convince another innocent to repair and befriend him.

Could I possibly change him into something harmless? She remembered the transforming spell Elder Gutknecht had given her and pulled out the scrap of paper on which it was written. Hopefully that would work.

She struggled over the unfamiliar words as she read the spell aloud. Barkis began to shriek, then was instantly silenced.

Emily looked down. His bones crumbled into dust mixed with twitching worms. They burrowed into the ground as a butterfly-laced zephyr blew away the dust.

_You did well,_ said her guardian's silent voice, filling her with warmth that the sunlight was incapable of.

"Still, I should have known better," she whispered. "I shouldn't have brought him here."

_He had fooled me before,_ the voice continued, a_s well as your grandparents, the Everglots. But, thanks to you, he is now gone forever and can no longer harm anyone else._

Countless swirling butterflies instantly surrounded Emily. She could feel a glow as they flew around her in a rapid whirlwind, their wings tickling her skin.

She drew in a deep breath. Once the butterflies had lifted she saw that her skin had returned to its normal shade and she could feel the sunlight against it.

Fleeting sadness passed through her as she noticed a few of the butterflies lying lifeless at her feet. The rest were rising heavenwards in swirling patterns.

_I returned you to life by giving you some of mine, _said her guardian. _This worked because we have a special connection. A part of me will always live within you. _

"Thank you, Emily," she heard her father's whispered voice say behind her. She turned. He wasn't looking at her but up at the butterflies fading in the distance.

He then swept her into his arms and spun her around, something that he hadn't done since she was very small.

Her mother dashed forward, once Victor had set her down, and kissed her. "You saved us from Barkis!"

Guilt stabbed at Emily. "I'm so sorry for bringing him here in the first place. I-I didn't know who he was."

"That doesn't matter," said Victor. "You have disposed of him and have returned to us. That is what is the most important."

"I was beginning to wonder who I could torment without you around," said Will, winking up at her.

Emily's grief crept back. "I may be alive but I can't stay. I made a promise to Elder Gutknecht."

She stepped away from her shocked family and, before she could change her mind, whispered, "Hopscotch."

She blinked and found herself back in Elder Gutknecht's lair.

"My girl, what happened to you? You look different." He shambled toward her, adjusting his glasses. "Why, you're alive!"

"Yes." Emily's beating heart felt heavy with pain. "My namesake gave me back my life but I knew I had to return. I did promise you that—"

"My dear, you do realize that you can't stay? This is the world of the _dead_ and you are very much alive."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I made a promise and—"

"You needn't apologize, Emily," Elder Gutknecht said, taking her hand. His fingers felt like delicate fish bones. "It is better that you live a full life. When you return here, as you eventually will, you can then become my successor." He grinned up at her. "I've been advising the dead for _centuries._ I can certainly wait several more decades. Life is a temporary state, no matter how long one lives, so enjoy it."

Emily thought she would burst with joy as he magically returned her to the Land Above, to her family.


End file.
